Mere two retired jerseys hang in Dome after years of great Flames

They remain the only Calgary hockey team to have hoisted the Stanley Cup.

That more jerseys worn by the stars of the 1989 Calgary Flames haven't been hoisted to the Saddledome rafters has long been a source of confusion and irritation for fans of this city's most storied squad.

Lanny's No. 9 is there, as is the No. 30 jersey worn by goaltender Mike Vernon.

Two lonely sweaters, and an arena full of silence from the Calgary Flames.

"Nothing is planned," was the official answer from team spokesman Peter Hanlon on Tuesday, days before members of the 1989 team take to the ice in Calgary to celebrate the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium.

In some ways, Saturday's alumni match against a squad of Montreal Canadiens veterans has hockey aficionados more excited than the actual Heritage Classic featuring the current NHL teams.

The scheduled return of names like Nieuwendyk, Otto, Roberts and MacInnis to Calgary ice has local fans reminiscing with stars in their eyes, and re-ignited demands that more Flames be honoured by the team.

"On the alumni front, why not retire some more numbers? It's baffling to me why they haven't done that." A typical complaint, from a typical fan online.

You can add Theo Fleury's voice to that list.

Not to the list of players who deserve a retired number, though Fleury is certainly a leading candidate for the years he spent wearing the red, gold and white.

Instead, No. 14 has added his voice to those arguing for his 1989 teammates, wondering why the likes of Al MacInnis and others are still waiting for their numbers to hang above the Saddledome ice.

Asked which teammates deserve the honour and Fleury doesn't hesitate.

"I would say MacInnis and Nieuwendyk - and Gary Roberts had some amazing seasons here too," said Fleury.

"There are a few guys I can think of who deserve it and there are a bunch who will be going into the Hall of Fame, too, like Doug Gilmour - Joey Mullen is already there."

Fleury shrugs over his own place in the rafters. He says he and his teammates gave everything they could to the Flames and Calgary, and recognition is up to the current management.

"I look at it as being out of our hands," he said.

"We've done what we can do, and we've all had great careers, and a lot of us live in Calgary and call the city home.

"We love it here and we loved playing for the Flames."

That's a lot of love, but so far the team isn't showing much warmth in return.

Fleury says it's disappointing, but there's little use in complaining.

"I think we'd all love to someday have our jerseys retired, but in the end it's not up to us to decide."

Last August, the Moose Jaw Warriors inducted Fleury into their Hall of Fame, but recognition from the Flames seems a distant hope.

The sense that all was forgiven after Fleury was allowed to retire as a Flame, following an exciting but ultimately unsuccessful comeback attempt in 2009, appears to have been premature.

It's been said Fleury's outspoken nature, which included criticism of the team's 2009-2010 roster, may have cooled his chances.

Maybe, but Fleury keeps talking anyway.

After discussing retired jerseys, he goes on to suggest the current crop of NHL players could do well to embrace the outdoor past, the way the Heritage Classic will.

"You're not going to learn this stuff in a classroom and it's repetition," said Fleury.

"You have to do it over and over again and that shortage of indoor rinks and ice-time is why we're not producing enough Sidney Crosbys."

He says kids no longer grabbing their skates and hitting the nearest pond or patch of ice for hours of free practice is why the current NHL is suffering for stars.

"There's starting to be a debate about the product on the ice right now - look at the generation when Gretzky broke into the league until when he retired," said Fleury.

"Now, the only guys anyone talks about are Crosby and Ovechkin, and that's the new Lemieux and Gretzky, but they barely get 100 points a year.